Kid Chess News
November 12, 2024
A weekly roundup of happenings in the Kid Chess community
This weekly web publication is designed for the adults in our community who have children enrolled in our classes, camps, and tournaments. It is designed to keep you informed about what your kids are doing in our programs and to teach you a little bit about the chess world. Let us know what content is important to you by writing to dan.lucas@kidchess.com.
In this edition:
The Dean of Scholastic Chess: Dewain Barber
Kid Chess Honors our Veterans: Coach Al Horton
Upcoming
Kid Chess Events
Located at Chess.Zone | 2500 Old Alabama Road, Suite 11 | Roswell, GA 30076
Register online here or call to register: 770-575-5802.
No on-site registration. Please register in advance.
- Saturday, November 16th – Kid Chess Tournament
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- Special Times, 9:00am – 12:45pm
- AM Regular Chess Tournament – 6th – 8th Grade Open
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- Friday, November 29th – Kid Chess Black Friday Black Light Bonanza
- AM Blacklight Regular Chess Tournament – Kindergarten – 5th Grade Open
- PM Blacklight Bughouse Chess Tournament – Kindergarten – 5th Grade Open (the photo shows an example from one of our Blacklight events!)
Please click here for even more events.
Kid Chess Girls Tournament
On Saturday, November 9, Kid Chess held one of our periodic All Girls events with 34 young ladies participating. Congratulations to all of our top finishers and we’re glad everyone had so much fun!
Thank you to Coach Sarah for these photos.
Happy trophy winners
Two girls playing their match
The tournament hall at Chess Zone
The Dean of Scholastic Chess: Dewain Barber
In 2018, Dewain Barber was named Dean of Scholastic Chess by the US Chess Federation in recognition of his many decades of supporting and promoting scholastic chess. One of his initiatives was creating the queen key rings in the photo above that were given away to players to promote interest and excitement (courtesy of US Chess). Another was creating these crystal kings and queens:
Mr. Barber was kind enough to donate many boxes of these crystal pieces to our Kid Chess program, and we awarded some of them at the Kid Chess Girls Tournament described in the article above. Here are some of the recipients showing off their new pieces alongside their Kid Chess trophies:
Thank you Mr. Barber! The Kid Chess community is grateful to you for your generosity, and we will continue to award these pieces at our future events.
More about Dewain Barber:
Dewain Barber is the US Chess Dean of Scholastic Chess and the founder of the Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions. He is the recipient of many awards, including Recognition in 1995 for his 20 years of service to Scholastic Chess by the Southern California Chess Federation Board, 2000 Teacher of the Year, Buena Park School District, 2000 US Chess Scholastic Service Award, 2002 US Chess Special Services Award, 2008 U.S. Chess Trust Harold Dondis Award, 2010 US Chess Meritorious Service Award, 2014 City of Fullerton, CA 40 Year Achievement Award for Morrison Scholastic Chess Tournament, 2016 US Chess Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime of Dedication to Chess and multiple-year recognitions as a GM Koltanowski Gold Medal recipient for exceptional support to chess.
Kid Chess Honors our Veterans: Coach Al Horton
Yesterday was Veterans Day and we are proud to recognize one of our own Kid Chess coaches—Coach Al Horton! Coach Al has been with Kid Chess for about seven years. He was a member of the Armed Services Chess Team from and represented the Marine Corps during the Sea Services Chess Tournament. He is a true hero both on and off the chessboard who exemplifies discipline and courage while at the same time making chess fun for all those he comes across as he teaches the strategy and focus the game demands.His journey from serving our country to teaching the royal game is an inspiration to us all. In honor of Veterans Day, we thank him not only for his service in uniform, but also for the impact he makes every day within the Kid Chess community. Thank you Coach Al and to all our veterans for your dedication and leadership.Thank you to Coach Laura for this write up and securing the photos.
